SEATTLE – On Sunday, Austin Riley grounded an 81 mph single between Cleveland’s middle infielders to end the game. The hit was not lucky – it was good hitting – but there was irony in that ball being the one that finds grass.
Riley, after all, has been one of baseball’s unluckiest hitters to this point – at least by one measure.
Entering Monday’s series opener in Seattle, Riley had made seven total outs this season on balls hit off the barrel of the bat, second only to the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt. Jr. (both have eight).
“There for a little bit, it was like, ‘Okay, I need to figure some stuff out,’” Riley said. “Then it’s like, ‘Okay, I’m doing some work.’ And then it’s like, ‘All right, starting to barrel some balls.’ The last four or five days, I’ve felt like it is a little bit of bad luck of just, like, barreling some balls up that I put really good swings on that haven’t fallen my way.
“I’ve been through it enough. I feel like it happens every time you’re going through a slump. Whether you’re about to come out of it, or in the middle of it, wherever it may be in that flow of it, it’s just like, you’re always gonna run into some hard outs when you’re scuffling. Hopefully, I’m on the back end of it.”
Riley arrived here batting .234 with a .694 OPS, two homers and 14 RBI. If those seven outs hit on the barrel were hits, he’d be batting .299. But in his last 10 games, including Monday, Riley is 4-for-37.
This season, Riley has hit 16 balls at 105 mph or above. Seven have been outs.
How has Riley been able to deal with the frustration that comes from this?
“The way I look at it is I won,” he said. “I mean, this game is so hard and any time you can barrel a ball off a pitcher – whatever it may be, and you barrel it – to me, you gotta chalk that up as a win. Once the ball leaves the bat, it’s out of your hands. All you can do is worry about making solid contact. And I think that’s the way I’ve looked at it.”
The Braves’ All-Star third baseman has learned how to stay even-keel during slumps. Remember 2019, when he struggled in his first taste of the majors?
“If this was 2019 and I was going through this right now, I’d be in a bad spot,” Riley said. “Whereas now, I know how to handle it, I know how to come out of this at some point. It’s just a matter of continuing to put in good work in the cage and just try to have good at-bats, and let the results come.”
Over his career, Braves manager Brian Snitker has been around some of the organization’s greats, from Chipper Jones to Freddie Freeman. To Snitker, Riley is similar to those icons.
“He’s one of those … boring pros, I call ‘em,” Snitker said. “He comes to work every day, he does his job, there’s no highs and lows, it’s the same thing every day. He expects to play, prepares to play very well. He’s about as pro as they come.”
Riley’s slump hasn’t yet hit a disastrous level. And it probably won’t, as he’s shown encouraging signs.
Riley said he’s worked on trying to be more square to the plate – or parallel with the line on the batter’s box – to allow himself space to work. When his cold stretch began, he was turning in too much.
Now, he’s waiting for more results like Sunday.
“Hopefully we’re on the tail end of it,” Riley said.
Kelenic reunites with Seattle media
A large contingent of Seattle reporters were in the Braves’ dugout at around 3 p.m. local time. They were waiting for Jarred Kelenic, the outfielder who departed for Atlanta in an offseason trade.
“I missed you guys!” Kelenic said upon seeing all the reporters.
His session, which lasted about seven minutes, didn’t feature anything too groundbreaking or newsworthy. But he was asked about playing for a new organization with different eyes on him.
“Every organization has their own way of doing things, and every organization is different,” Kelenic said. “But definitely, ever since I’ve been here, I’ve learned a lot.”
Asked how he’s different offensively now than when he played for the Mariners, Kelenic said: “I think a little bit more relaxed. Hitting in the back of the lineup here – we have such a talented lineup here, one through nine. And even some of the days that I’m platooning, so many guys that come in off the bench that are so dangerous. My mentality when I’m the box is just trying to get on base. Especially hitting ninth, I got (Ronald Acuña Jr.) hitting behind me, and just getting on first base, I’m in scoring position with that cat up there.”
In the Braves’ lineup, Kelenic doesn’t have to do too much. The Braves don’t rely on him as much as Seattle would, simply because their lineup is loaded.
How does Kelenic want Seattle fans to remember him?
“I mean, no different than I want my friends to remember me,” Kelenic said. “I’m a super passionate guy. I’ll always miss playing in front of these fans. I’m excited to do it tonight. But I gave everything I had and I’m gonna continue to give everything I have because I feel it’s my job and it’s my duty. People that invest money to come and watch me play, I feel like I gotta give them everything I’ve got if they’re gonna invest into me. And I hope that, regardless of the ups and downs, they saw that.”
In pregame introductions, Kelenic received applause from those in their seats. When he walked up to the plate for his first at-bat, which came in the third inning, fans cheered for him again.
Kelenic went 1-for-3. He singled in the ninth inning. In the sixth, he grounded into an inning-ending double play after the Braves broke up Bryce Miller’s perfect game when Travis d’Arnaud drew a walk.
“I mean, honestly, I wasn’t expecting too much,” Kelenic said after the game about the reception. “I felt like my time here was pretty short. But it was fun playing in front of them.”
One interesting stat
On Monday, the Braves didn’t homer in a game for the ninth time in 27 contests this season. Last year, it only happened 18 times in 162 games.
But even after Monday’s loss, the Braves (19-8) have baseball’s best record. They’re finding ways to win and proving they’re not dependent on the long ball.
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